


'til kingdom come

by ireallyshipthat (orphan_account)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alfor - Freeform, Allura - Freeform, Altean!Hunk, Altean!Matt, Alternate Universe - No Lions, Coran - Freeform, Eventual Relationships, Galara!Keith, Galara!Shiro, M/M, Slow Build, Slow Burn, altean!lance, altean!pidge, arranged marrige, i just don't really mention it, idk about his dad, idk i was gonna make smut but now i don't feel like it, keith's parents are floating in space somewhere, now the good tag are done here at the shit ones, okay, or at least his mom is, shiro has his metal arm, so allura is lance's brother but she's still alfor's daughter which means lance is alfor's son, yay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-21
Updated: 2016-10-23
Packaged: 2018-08-16 03:08:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8084362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/ireallyshipthat
Summary: When Lance learns of the looming threat of war between his own kingdom, Altea, and their neighbors, the Galra, he decides that it's his job as the Prince of Altea to help stop it. Unfortunately, he can't seem understand how dangerous his mission really is.Crown Prince of the Galra, more commonly known as Prince Keith, has a problem. Being forced into an arranged marriage by his father was crazy enough, but now he's practically engaged to the biggest moron in the galaxy. Just great.The two princes must learn to overcome the struggles placed in their path in order for the two kingdoms to fully be united, but sometimes, they have to think about themselves first.





	1. of opposites and loneliness

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my attempt at a multi-chap fic! Please leave comments, it would really help! <3  
> I'll try to post every... umm, say week? We'll see, maybe sooner.

_Silly, stupid boy._

Whispers surrounded Lance as he forced his way through the crowd to see-

"Ah, Lance, please join us."

Lance's eyes whip up to his father, King Alfor, smiling at him through a haze of discomfort. His sister, Allura, is standing up near him, mouth open like she had been yelling at him. When his eyes meet hers, her jaw snaps shut and she grits her teeth before turning away.

Lance shrugs and confidently strides up the long steps up to his tiny throne next to Allura's. He's younger than her by almost three years, but that doesn't stop him from giving her a glare that says, _"Tell me all you know,"_ as he passes.

Alfor sighs, and rubs his temples, using his free hand to create shooing gestures as the court below him. The councilmen scuttle into position, capes billowing out from behind them.

He turns to Lance and gives him a weak smile. "We were just talking about Allura's wedding."

Lance frowns, "Allura's actually found someone who likes her enough to get  _married_ to her?"

Allura lets out an indignant yelp, "This is an _arranged marriage_! I have no standing in deciding if I like this person or not!" Her anger makes her accent stronger.

Lance sighs, and throws his hands up in a  _'screw it'_ gesture, "My point still stands, then."

"Well, at least I'm doing something! You're just sitting around and fucking anything within a two mile radius!" Allura yells.

"Allura! Manners!" Alfor frowns. He looks at Lance from the corner of his eye, "She does have a point, though."

Allura grins and Lance pouts, "But Father!"

He sighs, "Lance, Allura is absolutely right. You need to get your act together! Allura is taking an arranged marriage like a proper queen, and you're here disappointing the kingdom!"

Lance frowns, "You know what? I'll take the fucking marriage."

Allura stares at him shocked, "You'd do that for me?"

He snorts, "Trust me, this isn't for you."

Alfor looks at him carefully. "Are you sure? This is your entire life on the line?"

"I'll do anything to keep my kingdom safe."

Alfor raises an eyebrow, "But you don't know who you're marrying-"

"And I don't care," Lance chuckled mirthlessly, "because I am doing only the kingdom good, and no one else."

Lance thinks he sees something close to pride flash across his father's face.

"Then it is settled. Lance will accept the marriage."

☾ ☀ ☽

Keith regretted everything.

Fuck his father. He just wanted a normal father, one who took him to Little Galaxy baseball games when he was younger, and took him to a normal school. But instead he got a father that held a high position in the Galarian Council of Elders. 

Keith kicks the back of his bed growling out a high whine.

 _He wasn't ready._ He had so much to  _live_ for! Time to explore the galaxy, the galaxies beyond it, and to do what  _he wants,_ on _his own time._

The only thing that wasn't on his wishlist for life was, "Marry an Altean prince at the age of twenty-one."

Well, okay, there were plenty of things that weren't on his wishlist, but he was making a point.

He lets out a huff of anger and plops down on his bed, cradling his head in his hands.

He had no connection to the Galarian Empire, except for the fact the he was half-Galara, but even that gave him no sense of authority over  _anyone_.

He'd learnt that the hard way.

He remembers everything. The way the other children tried to trip him in that halls, pushed him against the cold airlock door, waiting for the countdown to start.

He wishes that he'd actually been pushed out of the airlock that day.

There's a knock on his door, and Keith lets his hands hang uselessly by his sides as he picks his head up to look at the Galarian who has entered his room.

"I put the fucking sign on the door, go aw- oh, Shiro, it's you."

Shiro laughs lightly and sits next to him. The two of them stare into space, Shiro's yellow eyes and Keith's black ones looking blankly out into nothingness.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Shiro asks, a small smile on his face.

Keith snorts, "If you like that kind of stuff."

Shiro says, "I think that you like it too." He turns to Keith to give him a pointed look.

"Shiro," Keith mutters, looking at his hazy reflection in Shiro's yellow pupils, "I'm scared."

Shiro just shrugs. "Why?"

He reels back, frowning at the man in front of him. He's never thought about that.

"I don't know," Keith says honestly. He turns his head to look at the bright stars and swirls outside the window.

"I don't think you're scared. I think you're lonely." Shiro says, following Keith's eyes.

"I'm not scared or lonely. I have you."

Shiro frowns. "You need to understand, you're  _allowed to be scared, Keith_. It's  _okay_."

He can feel the anger swirling in the Galarian prince sitting next to him, and puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It's okay," he repeats.

Keith looks at him, eyes blazing with rage. " _I'm not afraid of anything!_ "

Shiro shakes his head and stands. "I'm coming with you, if that makes you happy."

Keith doesn't respond.

"Nothing makes you happy anymore." Shiro's voice is so quiet that he almost doesn't hear it, but by the time Keith is turned around, teeth bared, Shiro's gone, the smell of sweat and syrup as the only proof that he was there at all.

Keith looks out into the blackness of space. Maybe Shiro is right. Maybe he should actually try and be  _friends_ with this boy. Maybe-

_Ridiculous._

No, Keith won't make any move to make so much as a friendship with this boy. He's not afraid.

As he watches the next star approach quickly, Keith thinks that maybe is is just a little afraid.

Just a little. 

☾ ☀ ☽

Lance is staring at his bedsheets when Allura sits down next to him.

"Hi," she whispers.

"Hi."

She looks at him, carefully, almost like she's taking him apart and putting him back together.

He finally snaps.

"Will you  _stop that?_ "

Allura looks at him, a gentle smile on her lips. "Oh."

"Oh,  _what?"_

She tilts her head slightly. "You're afraid."

"I'm not afraid."

She smiles at him, slowly running her hands through his hair like she used to do when he was little. Taking his face in her hands, she mutters, "When Mother died, I was expected to take over her role in this family. But I'm not a mother. I wasn't made for that. I was made for exploring, but I'm stuck here, about to be tied down forever. You took that off my shoulders. I believe that I should thank you for that."

He looks at her, fear in his cerulean blue eyes, "What about  _me_?"

She brushes her hands on the blue markings under her eyes. "I believe that you can do what makes you happy. I know I should selfish-"

"You do."

She frowns, "Yes, and I agree that I am selfish, but please, Lance, trust me."

He shakes his head. "When I took that marriage, I wasn't thinking about you. I was thinking about me, and what I was going to do with my life. Sure, I want to explore, but I also don't want to let my life drag out into and adventure. I want to settle down, with someone who I love. I thought that this was my chance."

He looks at her with tears in his eyes, "I guess I was wrong."

" _Oh._ " Allura's arms wrap around his shoulders, and she sobs into his neck. "I'm so sorry."

Lance smiles feebly, "I'm sorry too."


	2. of midnight dances and nail polish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Altean castle is bustling with the preparations for Prince Keith's arrival, and Lance decides to get in one last night on the town.

The castle is flurrying with movement at Lance sweeps down the halls, Pidge and Hunk at his heels.

"I just don't understand my sister, you know? She seems so... off lately," he explains, hand flying through the air in huge, sweeping gestures.

Hunk nods enthusiastically, scurrying up to his side with a smile. "I thought I was the only one who noticed it!"

Pidge rolls their eyes, a light smile on their face. "I don't know, Princess Allura seems to just be taking on other concerns now that- Oh, sorry, Lance."

Lance frowns lightly, taking a wide step to the right, allowing Pidge to smash their face into the wall. Hunk gives a chuckle as Pidge rubs their nose and growls, their green markings glowing brighter in anger.

"Oh, come on Lance! It'll be fine, maybe you'll even like Prince Keithian!"

"His name is Prince Keith," Lance growls, glowering.

Hunk grins, elbowing Lance. "See, you guys already sound like a married couple! It'll be no time before you two are out on the street of Altea, strolling hand in hand..."

Stopping in place, Lance turns aside to frown at Hunk. "I hate Prince Keith, and that's my final answer." His eyes light up with a glow and-

Lance whirls around, a devilish smile on his face.

"Oh no. No, no, nope, with a side of oh,  _hell_ , no." Pidge scuttles behind Hunk.

"I say," Lance grins, smiling down at Pidge through their glasses, "that we go out to the festival tonight."

Hunk rolls his eyes. "Is there even a festival tonight?"

Lance snorts, "There's always a festival."

Hunk smiles, raising his eyebrow, "Good point."

Pidge frowns, "But Hunk and I have tons of work-"

"Settled," Lance scoffs. "I'll help you."

Pidge stares at him like he's sprouted two wings and proposed to them right there in the hallway. "What did you say?"

Lance coughs uncomfortably. "I said that  _I'll help you_."

Pidge frowns, looking at Hunk, "I must be hallucinating. Did Lance just say he'd  _help us_ _?_ "

Lance rolls his eyes, "You don't have to make such a deal about it," he says. "Just thought that I'd help the kingdom  _even more_ than I already am-"

"Oh," Pidge smirks, "and I thought you were just helping because you actually cared for us."

"N-no! I care for you!" Lance yelps, while Hunk cackles behind him.

Pidge smiles gracefully at him, adjusting their glasses with one hand as Hunk laces his arm around Lance's shoulders.

"Don't worry, little Lance, we'll take care of the work. Just meet us at our usual spot."

Lance pouts. "But-"

"No buts." Hunks says, smiling and he turns and walks towards the kitchen, Pidge scuttling after him.

☾ ☀ ☽

Shiro seems so have a habit of walking in on Keith at the worst moments.

This time, when his best friend comes hurdling into his room, Keith's staring in dismay at his changing features. Purple ears, fluffy and itchy, sprout out of his hair, while purple spots crawl up his body, encasing him like a cocoon. The feeling of the color leaching from his skin and being replaced is uncomfortable, but Keith's used to this. It's just that he used to be able to control it.

Blinking, he eyes himself in the mirror with a frown. Large, yellow eyes stare back at him, unseeing in the face of anger.

Wide eyed, Keith hurtles around to face Shiro, who's looking at him with a strange glint in his eyes.

"I used to be able to control it! What's happening to me?" Keith growls, wrapping his growing fingernails around his face and  _pulling_  like the purple skin will just peel off, leaving behind who he used to be.

Shiro gives a snort, "That's because you're never this stressed." He sounds light and unimpressed, but there's an undercurrent of worry that makes Keith nervous. Shiro has always,  _always_ been there for when Keith has his... episodes. The idea that even he's scared sends Keith whirling around to face him, eyes wide and glowing with fear.

Shiro just smiles, "Keith, I'm not worried. This happens usually, right?"

Keith frowns, ignoring Shiro obvious lie, "I'm always stressed. What's your point?" 

Shiro laughs airily, "I told you, never  _this stressed_."

Keith turns away, his voice weak. "Make it  _stop_." He doesn't want to lock himself away for when the _prince_ does marry him, because _of course he will_ , he doesn't  _want to hide from anyone ever again._

In the mirror, he gets a look at Shiro's face. There's a sad feel about it, in the downturn of his eyebrows, and the cold grey that sometimes resurfaces in the corners of his pupils. The scar that Keith knows all too well runs in jagged formation across his nose, like a river in a desert. Shiro looks as scared as Keith feels.

_The laughter of the children pulling around him, encasing him like a net._

_"Throw him over the cliff!"_

_The other children join in with the chant, yelling, words mingling together._

_"Throw!"_

_"Cliff!"_

_"Him in the cliff!"_

_Keith whimpers, hugging his knees to his chest, "No, **no** , stop!"_

_But they don't stop. They keep pushing him until-_

The warm hand on his shoulder pulls him out of his nogalista.

Shiro smiles lightly at him, his eyes slowing filling with yellow. Keith ignores the twinge of sadness as he sees the last remains of Shiro's... humanness, he supposes, disappear. "You know what? Let's go to the festival tonight!"

Keith cocks his head, "What festival?"

He rolls his eyes, "The festival for you and Prince Lance's wedding!"

He glances in the mirror, cheeks heating up red at the mention of Prince Lance.

Keith frowns, "No."

"Yes!" Shiro's starting to sound more excited by the minute  _and Keith doesn't like it._

"It'll calm you down."

Keith whips around, a helpless look in his eyes, "You think I'll be able to control it again?"

"We can only hope." Shiro grins, patting Keith on the back. There's a calming feeling, like Keith feels he stands outside and looks up, at the starry nothingness that twinkles in the sky.

He turns, watching the purple of his skin disappear behind the milky color of his usual complexion.

"I hope you're right."

Shiro sends him a smile, glancing towards him.

"I'm always right." 

☾ ☀ ☽

Lance's brow drips with sweat as he twirls Pidge around his finger, grinning as they turn to face him with a queasy look.

He pushes them towards a group of teens smiling around their cups, as he grabs the next girls shoulders and pulls them along in a lively dance.

Moving in tiny circles, feet tapping a vivid rhythm against the stonework of the pathways, hands clapping in sync, Lance has never felt for alive. He _lives for this_. Being out, just... being free. He's always been free, in a way. His sister was the one that had to rule the kingdom when their father had stepped down, but he had never entertained the simple idea that he wouldn't be free his  _entire_ life. He had always just assumed.

Spinning the girl around while a smile on his masked face, he grabs the next dancer's hand.

He's not really paying attention, his eyes surfing the crowd for something fun to do on his last day of relative freedom. His eyes catching on blue, black, red-

Purple.

He's never seen anyone wear  _purple_ at a festival, but the person standing against the side of the building, their back coiled into a defensive stance, is.

He doesn't want to admit it, but they _intrigue_ him. The hood over their eyes cover half of their face, but Lance gets a look at the small smile under the shadow.

He doesn't even excuse himself, just pushes through the crowd, smiling at the people giving him dirty looks. The closer he gets to the figure, the more the magnetic pull draws him into them. He's pushing through the crowd now, yelling, "Sorry!" over his shoulder to no one in particular, and-

"Hi."

The person's eyes find his, and the boy smiles shyly. "H-hi."

Oh, his  _eyes_. The color of the velvet Allura is so fond of. The color of the darkening night sky. The color of the boy in front of him.

"May I have this dance?" He's not aware of his words, but he's saying them anyways, and the boy is stuttering out a, "Y-yes."

Lance is into the moment, pulling the boy along like he's his lifeline. Pulling the boy to his chest, breathing hard, he smiles.

"God," the boys laughs, and Lance wants to kill himself.  _He's beautiful._

The boys grins at him. "I guess you really wanted that dance, huh?" Lance flushes red, but just smiles, "You bet I did."

He pulls away, already missing the warmth of his body and smiles. "I'm...?"  _Shit._

The boy just quirks an eyebrow, pulling his hood further down his head, and revealing a head full of messy black hair.

"Let's just agree to stay anonymous today, okay?" Lance hopes that he said that smoothly enough, but the boy just pulls himself closer to Lance, smiling.

"Sure." 

The boy is too, close, but it gives Lance a sense of belonging, here in his arms. They twirl around, laughing and grinning at each other, dodging gasping couples, stepping on every par of feet they come across. He stares down at the milky hand in his, the color mixing with his own, and smiles, noticing something.

"Are you wearing nail polish?"

The boy stutters out a laugh, grinning cheekily at him, "Yeah, so?"

Lance grins, looking at the bright red nail polish on his fingernails, then looking back up at the boy.

"I think I'll call you Red."

Red snorts, grinning, "I guess I'll just call you Blue then."

Lance smiles so wide he's sure he's stretched out his face. "Why's that?"

"Because it's the opposite of red." Red says it like it obvious, but Lance just laughs.

He pouts turning and swirling away in a heap of purple, "What?"

"Red isn't the opposite of blue, orange is."

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

The two bicker into the night laughing and dancing until it feels like their feet may fall off. Lance turns so Red fits snuggly in his arms, "When can I see you again?"

Red laughs, placing a small smile onto his face, "I don't know, but I'll look for you."

A brief flash of purple hair and yellow eyes flood his vision, along with _"What about Prince Keith?"_ but Lance ignores it, smiling, "Yeah."

Blushing, Red places the hair hanging in front of his face behind his ears. "Yeah."

☾ ☀ ☽

That night, Lance dreams of purple robes, red nail polish, and grinning as they trip over couple's feet.


	3. of spilt tea and siblings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance are forced to meet their soon to be siblings-in-law.
> 
> Keith may not hate Lance as much as he thought.
> 
> Lance thinks that Keith's going to look stupid when they finally meet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more of a filler chapter, kinda like last chapter, but I promise, klangst is coming soon!

Contrary to popular belief, Keith  _did not_ hate Prince Lance.

Keith may have  _disliked_ him, may have distrusted him with all his being, but he couldn't bring himself to hate Lance.

So, when Shiro had shoved Keith into the curtained room, with a growl and, "God, Keith, stop being such a  _baby_ ," Keith had decided that maybe, while he didn't hate Lance, he hated the Altean race in general. He didn't hate Prince Lance for one simple reason: Lance was doing what was good for his kingdom, and to Keith, that was truly admirable.

It had been Alfor's idea for the husbands-to-be to meet with their soon to be sibling-in-law, but, in Keith's opinion, it was generally a stupid idea. 

Allura places a calculating smile onto her face as she sits down, gingerly shifting her long skirts underneath her.

"So, you must be Prince Keith." 

Keith snorts, turning towards her, and insult on his tongue. Shiro's disappointed face flashes into his mind, and he sighs, "And you must be Princess Allura. I've heard much about you."

She smiles, seemingly excited at his manners, before saying, "I think what you're doing is truly remarkable and courageous."

She doesn't need to say  _what_ he's doing, because they both know. "I'm not doing it for love. It's for the good of my kingdom."

Allura looks at him, eyes wide, a graceful smile on her delicate face. "You sound like Lance." He listens to her words, admiring the way she says her words, all rounded vowels and smooth consonants.

"I'm nothing like Lance, Princess." His hands are twitching in the folds of his pants, sweating as he leaves long lines of water when he wipes his hands.

She looks at him fondly, her bright eyes flashing, "You're very much like him, if I do say so myself." He opens his mouth to argue, but Allura just smiles, placing a finger to her mouth in a  _shhhh_ gesture.

He can feel himself turning more and more stressed with every moment. He breathes out heavily, counting up and down like his brother taught him. 

Allura looks at him, eyes wide, curious. "Both you and Lance seem to think you are marrying for the good of your kingdom, but instead, you have... other reasons to marry."

Keith squints, already calming down. Her voice is calming, like Shiro's, but Shiro's is more brotherly while hers is more... delicate. "What other reasons?"

She look at him, "You're bored."

"You sound like Shiro," he scoffs, tilting his head.

She smiles, "Shiro seems... kind."

"Well, you can't marry him, I'm marrying Lance." He snaps a hand over his mouth, hiding his red cheeks.

Allura giggles slightly, "Oh, no, you misunderstand me. Shiro is lucky to have you as a brother."

Keith smiles, "I'm lucky to have him."

The two smile at each other, eyes shining.

"So, tell me, is Shiro...?" 

Keith snorts, "You seem really interested in Shiro all of a sudden."

With a smile, Allura leans back, "There is something I must ask of him..."

Keith grins, cheeks heating.

Shooting a light look at Allura, he murmurs, "So, tell me about Lance."

"Like I said, Lance and you have many similarities. Lance is... adventurous. He likes to explore. He loves dressing up and makeup, but don't tell him I told you that." She winks at him.

Keith smiles. "Anything else?"

Raising an eyebrow, she smiles, "You seem... enraptured with Lance?"

Keith snorts, "Stop using big words at tell me about your brother."

"He has two best friends, Pidge and Hunk. If you want to win his favor-" 

"H-hey! I never said-!"

Allura rolls her eyes, "You should meet them. You'd like Pidge." Leaning her elbows on her knees, she smiles, "He likes to dance," she whispers, like a secret.

Keith decides that maybe all Alteans aren't as bad as he thought. Especially ones that like to embarrass Lance.

"How come you don't look like Lance?" He's never been able to keep his mouth shut when curious. He's barged into her conversation, "I'm sorry-! I've seen pictures..."

Allura just smirks at him, "Lance is adopted. But he's our family, he's my brother." Keith knows what being adopted is like. Maybe... maybe they might just get along.

Keith bites his tongue. "Well, I just can't wait to meet him." He bites the lie though his teeth. As much as they might get along, that doesn't mean Keith isn't nervous.

Allura just gives him a sympathetic look, "You may not like him, but remember who you're doing this for."

He doesn't have the heart to tell her he doesn't know who.

☾ ☀ ☽

Truly, Lance didn't know who he was kidding. Pidge was right, (what a shocker) and his ego had gotten in the way of his perspective.

When Lance had heard the name "Price Keith," from Allura's lips, all he could imagine was a drooping purple Galara with sad, floppy ears, pathetic really. So, why wouldn't his brother look at least somewhat of the same way?

But, nooooo, Lance couldn't be allowed to be right for once in his life, and here he was, staring up at the hulking form in the front of him with a whimper stuck in his throat.

"Hello."

Lance, sucking up his ego and smiling serenely says, "Hi, I'm Lance."

The man shrugs, smiling, and Lance is amazed at how kind he sounds. "I'm Shiro, it's nice to meet you."

Satisfied that the Galara poses no harm, Lance sighs loudly and pops down on the sofa in front of him. "So, I assume we're here to talk about Prince Keith."

Shiro thumbs his nose, snorting. "Yes, you have any questions?"

Lance raises an eyebrow, grinning, "Wow, so formal. I have tons of questions but am I going to ask them?" He turns to Shiro, watching as the man grins, shrugging his shoulders. "No?"

"Absolutely correct! Excellent job!"

Shiro hums, finally sitting down next to him. 

"You know, my brother made you out to seem a lot less funny than you actually are."

Lance frowns slightly, "Does he... you know, talk about me?" His voice is quiet, and the wounded look he gives Shiro is enough for him to know he regrets asking the question.

Shiro looks at him thoughtfully, "Not really, though I believe that the reason to that is because he hasn't met you."

Lance still looks uncertain though, but now Shiro's interest in peaked. "Why do you ask?"

Lance's face slowly turns a light pink, and Shiro watches in amazement as his markings flash in warning. "Sorry," Lance mutters, looking down. Shiro goes to apologize for making him uncomfortable, but Lance looks at him smiling, "I guess I just wanted to know how my fiance thinks about me. Not much apparently."

There's a tension in the room that Shiro can taste on his tongue, but he's always been curious, so he asks, "Do you... like Keith?"

Lance grins, though there's an underlying confusion to it. "What are we, in kindergarten?"

Shiro frowns, letting the words run through his head until a look of understanding dawned oh his lips, "Oh! No, no, I mean... do you think that you could be friends?"

Lance gives him a look of interest, "Well, we'll never know if I don't meet him!" There's a slight tremor underneath his words, and Shiro decides that Lance is _very_ much like Keith.

Grabbing Lance's outstretched hand, he smiles, "Then let's go."

☾ ☀ ☽

Shiro watches as Lance scrapes down the hall, the heels of his boots clicking against the white marble of the floor.

Lance is much like King Alfor, and though they share the same regal look when talking, Lance has more emotion to him. If Alfor is a candle, Lance is a bonfire.

Shiro follows Lance, sighing as Lance whimsically laughs, "And this is-"

"Lance, I'm sure Shiro has seen the castle already." A kind voice floats across the hall.

Shiro's eyes whip up to his rescuer, and he turns bright red.

"Thanks. It was getting annoying." He shoots a look at Lance, but Lance is just smirking smugly. "I'm-"

Now that he can fully see the person in front of him, his grin falters.

Short, orange-brown hair falls softly in front of his eyes, pale skin dotted with freckles sparkles in the sunlight, and square glasses take up most of his face. The tiny person in front of him smirks, raising a delicate brow. "You are?"

"Shiro. T-that's my name!" 

Lance snickers behind him, and Shiro clasps his hands behind to stop himself from strangling the Crown Prince of Altea.

The boy in front of him smiles, and Shiro catches a light dusting of pink across his face as he sticks his hand out, "I'm Matt."

"Matt." Shiro swallows. "Nice to meet you."

Matt pushes his glasses up higher on his nose, "I-it's nice to meet you too."

The two men look at each other, smiling dumbly before Lance snorts, "Alright, lovebirds, take me to my fiance."

Matt rolls his eyes and smiles, "Right this way,  _Prince_."

"Why thank you, Matty-boy!" Matt rubs the back of his head and grins bashfully up at Shiro.

Shiro just smiles, "Let's go."

The two have to jog to keep up with Lance, whose surprisingly long legs make him walk faster. Pushing open the door to the garden, Lance frowns-

And Shiro puts a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It'll be alright."

Lance snorts, "I hope."

And he pushes the door open.


	4. of bloody teeth and secret meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance tries to understand why he's so invested in the marriage, and Keith decides that Lance may still be an insufferable idiot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry this was late, lots of ideas right now, so this one isn't as long as I wanted it to be, but more Klance in the next chapter! <3

> **_All my friends tell me I should move on. I'm lying in the ocean, singing your song._ **

_Three days after the festival._

He wakes in a tumble of blankets, warm cotton dripping off the edges of his bed. Sweat slopes down his back, filling in the areas where his sticky shirt clings to his body. 

Lance breathes out a heavy gust of air, watching as it fills the room. He's shaking, when he places his hand on the nightstand, it rattles quietly.

Pushing himself out of bed, he stands, unstable on his feet. He's not sure  _what_ happened, all that he knows is that he's afraid.

Stumbling, he throws his blankets to the floor, barely stopping to watch as he gropes his way along the wall towards the bathroom. The door opens with a  _thud_ , and he pushes himself inside the room with a groan. Lifting his eyes to the mirror, he finally sees himself.

Lance jerks back, startled at his features. He looks  _broken_ in a way that reminds him of his father's face when he had looked him in the eyes after everyone had left from the council meeting, voice soft, "Lance."

He shakes his head, eyes hardening. He's doing the  _right thing_. He's  _trying._ Pushing himself off the counter, he slips onto the floor, cradling his head in his hands, quiet sobs wracking his body. His lips move quietly, lips cracked and bleeding with all the biting he's been doing. He's not doing  _this_ ,  _whatever_ this  _is_ , for his  _father_. Truthfully, Lance has always wanted to be the best at everything. But fate has always had different ideas.

The second child, the useless one,  _"he's not fit to be King,"_ , Lance has always had words forced upon him. He could have been  _better_. All he's done is wallow in self pity, while he could have been working hard like Allura.  _Allura_ would make a fine Queen. Bile rises in his throat, and he purses his lips to keep more from coming up. He's selfish, but that's what's gotten him so far. Putting himself first is the only way to make sure he's good at something. And to be good at something is an achievement for him, and him alone.

Nodding to himself, he pushes off the ground, cold. _I'll do better_ , he promises himself.  _I will._

> _**Your soul is haunting me and telling me that everything is fine, but I wish I was dead.** _

☾ ☀ ☽

_Present time._

Lance's hand closes around the door's handle, relishing the feeling of the cold spreading through his body. He needs  _time_ , but he won't get any unless he makes it himself.

He turns his wrist, tan fingers clenching, and stops. His wrist hurts from pushing down on his bones for too long, but what's he's losing in comfort, he's gaining in time. Looking up, he catches sight of the delicate designs of the door, metal gleaming as he takes a step back, shaky.

"Lance."

He doesn't bother to turn around, but his hands are beginning to turn white from the pressure. He already knows what Shiro is going to say, but for some reason, he can't bring himself to stop him.

Lips pursed, he nods, "Shiro." The name whistles out of his two front teeth, cold air chilling his features. "What is it?"

Lance can hear the frown in the Galra's voice as he speaks, "Are you nervous?"

Lance scoffs, turning his head to get a better look at Shiro. "No."

Shiro smiles, weakly, before he slowly looks at Lance, eyes carefully calculating, "Once, a man told me that in order to be great, you have to make sacrifices that you may not be willing to make."

"I'm not willing to do anything unless I want to," Lance reminds him.

"Then that is your problem," he says, voice strong. "You have to do something that  _you_ don't want to do, and you're putting the kingdom as risk  _because_ of it."

Lance winces, lithe body twisting enough to finally get a look at him, "When you say it like that... it sounds selfish."

He looks at Shiro, blue eyes wide, "I'm selfish?" It's more of a question than the answer he wants, but no matter.

"I don't know," he says, shrugging, "but it's true isn't it?" Shiro's voice has a simple lit to it, almost like he actually  _cares_ for Lance. But Lance knows that he doesn't. The world is divided into bitter squares, and Shiro's is the furthest away from Lance's that it can be.

He looks at Shiro, eyes hard, "What do I do?"

"Go." Shiro smiles, a  _real_ smile. "Be great."

☾ ☀ ☽

_Inside the room, at the same time._

His lips pull apart in a sneer, teeth bared, and he  _growls_.  _He_ has nothing to lose, so why should  _he_ be crying?

In truth, the question actually mystifies Keith, but he's never honest with himself, and won't admit it. If it's actually Prince Lance behind those doors, swallowing tears down his throat and rubbing the snot from his nose on his hands, then Keith can add the question to his list. Altea is  _mystifying_ , with it's inhabitants springing about about the there isn't a war on the horizon, like they all couldn't die in _hours_ if the alliance doesn't go through.

If Prince Lance is the one _sobbing_ behind those doors, then Keith knows that he has the upper hand. _Crying_ makes you  _weak_ , he can remember his father leering down at him, he can remember the fear lashing through him as he brings his lips to his son's ear and whispers, "Crying proves weakness.  _Galra_ don't show any." Just a  _tiny child_ _,_ wide eyes open to the world. And truly, Keith, now that he thinks about it, could have been  _very different._ He had the  _universe_ at the tips of his fingers, the pale skin darkening in the light of the darkness of the port window's shadow. But he was born a strong person, and  _to hell if he's not going down without a fight._

The doorknob turns.

Keith won't, he  _won't_ look at Allura for fear that she'll see the panic behind his eyes, the terror behind his fixed mouth. He's never going to show  _any_ weakness, that's just who he is. And who he'll be forever.

He stands, slightly unstable on his own feet,  _get it together,_ and plasters the fake smile to his face. But the fear is back, gripping into his chest, and the corners of his mouth turn downwards as the door slowly creaks open. 

The boy who steps through the threshold is  _not_ who Keith expected to be. Or, he is, but he just doesn't look like Keith thought he would.

The Galra's brain turns to static, and he forgets how to speak. The boy in front of him is  _beautiful_ in a way that boys shouldn't be. Soft, delicate eyelashes frame blue eyes, and Keith thinks that if he could look  _just_ _a little closer,_ he could see the ocean in them. Brown hair, simple yet elegant, falls over the edges of his cheekbones, tan ears peeking out from the tresses. He tracks the spray of freckles across the Altean's face until he reaches the elegant mouth, curved slightly downwards at the edges. 

If the boy didn't have red rimmed eyes and tear stains down his face, he would look just short of threatening.

"Hi," the boy says, voice surprisingly soft, and Keith wonders what Shiro had to tell him to be so vigilant in his efforts to meet him. But Shiro's hanging back, smiling softly, just missing his eyes as he looks upwards.

"I'm Prince Lance, it's... lovely to meet you." The hand sticks out a little too rigidly, but Keith grips it all the same, eyes cast downwards, resisting the urge to snap all of the boy's fingers with a sharp  _twist_ of his wrist.

"I-I'm Prince Keith. Same to you." He grinds out the words, teeth chattering together.

The two men stare at eachother, lips parted, words stuck between their lips. Keith wants,  _so desperately wants_ to tell Lance, to  _ask_ him the questions swirling around his head.

Allura takes her stand, smiling serenely, "Well," she says, gracefully slipping her hand around the bend in Shiro's arm, "it's time for us to take our leave." The two fiances are barely paying attention, staring at each other in,  _repulsion?_ _No,_ Keith decided,  _something else._

He's not ready to find out  _what._

The door closes with a  _clunk_ before the two stare at each other, eyes narrowing. Then, Keith hears the whistle of air as Lance's hands slam into him, and he's being pressed up against the wall, snarls leaving his mouth, "Get your hands  _off_ of me-" he warns, lips bared in a growl.

" _Just shut up,_ Prince," he says the title like a jab, lips pushing into Keith's neck, very effectively stifling his protests. Keith squirms underneath Lance, but the boy is goddamn  _strong._ And anyways, all he does is cause more trouble for himself.

Muttering into his pulse, Lance says, "Tread carefully, Keith, because if you even  _try_ and cross me, you'll never see the light of the stars again."

Writhing underneath the Altean prince, Keith snorts, "I'd think that  _you_ would be the one to tread carefully, your _majesty_."

Lance grins, teeth biting into the shorter boys neck, and says, " _I'm_ the one who has you pinned against the wall, let me remind you." He steps back, drawing his hands up towards his head, "This is my home turf."

"Not after I marry your sorry ass." The words slip out before he can stop them, but he doesn't regret them  _one bit_.

Surprisingly, Lance simply smiles, " _Come at me, Keith._ "

The fist of pale skin connects with the strong jaw and Lance reels back, smile dropping. "Oh, so  _that's_ how it's going to be." With the shadow of the door covering half his face, he looks  _terrifying._

" _Oh, yeah, that's how it's going to be,"_ Keith mocks, barely hiding his own fear. 

The two slam into each other in a true feat of pain, knocking the wind from their opponent's chest. Grappling, the two swing their fists and kick their legs, rolling around on the floor, lips smashing into hands, feet brushing thighs.

But they both know who has won when Keith pins Lance underneath his hips, breath hot on his face. "So, who's turf is it?"

Lance snarls, peeling his body from underneath Keith, as if the feeble amount of energy left in his body will overpower the angry boy sitting on top of him. "Oh, _fuck off._ " 

Keith smiles, lips chapped and bleeding. " _I asked you a question, Lance. Whose turf is it_ now?"

Lance starts, eyes wide. He'd always known that Galra could be...  _possessive_ , but seeing it in action was a whole nother thing. Keith was  _scary_ , and it terrified Lance that the boy could switch from bored to bloodthirsty in seconds.

"I-it's still mine," he stutters out. "I was born here."

Keith growls, words whispered into Lance's ear, "Oh,  _please,_ you really think that makes you entitled to  _anything?_ "

"O-of course!" He cries indignantly, "I'm doing a lot for my kingdom-"

The shorter boy cuts him off with a sharp look, "You really think that marrying me is enough to bring yourself up to the kingdom's standards?" There's genuine curiosity behind his words.

Lance wriggles underneath him, gasping out, "Y-yes!"

Looking down, Keith snorts, "Then Alteans must have very low standards." He loosens up on Lance's legs, starting to stand.

"Y-yeah? Well, no wonder! I'm marrying y-you!" Lance grins.

It all happens in seconds, but Keith has Lance's hands pinned above his head, teeth covered with sticky blood. " _How dare you."_

"How dare me?! I'm trying to do something important and I had to get strung along with you! I wish that Allura had taken the marriage!"

The words hold like a cold fog between them, and Keith forgets how to breathe.

Lance tips his head back, drawing in as much air as he can, "Leave me alone," he says, voice weak.

When the door closes, he finally opens his eyes, allowing tears to fill his vision.

☾ ☀ ☽

Keith is perfectly  _fine_ , thank you very much. There is no reason he should be  _upset_.

Yet, as he reminds himself this for the _tenth time_ as he prowls down the hallway, he finds tears filling his vision. He really _shouldn't_ care for Lance, but somehow, deep inside of his very being, there's a  _shred_ of... pity for him.

 _Yes, pity_ , Keith thinks,  _that's exactly what this feeling is._

But, contrary to Lance's belief, Keith is not stupid, and knows very well what this feeling is.  _Pity_ , he forces the words into his mind,  _pity, pity, pity, pity-_

And collides with a very small someone.

"Hey, watch it!"

Keith swivels around, teeth bared, "Well, _sorry_ , but it's not _just_ my fault!"

The tiny Altean stares at him with blinking eyes, interest written on their features, "Hey, you're that Keith person Lance was talking about!"

"I am not," Keith growls. "I am simply an angry person making his way to his room, because I am _very tired_ , thank you very much!" 

The  _child_ has the  _audacity_ to  _laugh_ , "I'm Pidge," they explain, sticking their hand out, smile wide and bright.

Keith sniffles, tilting his nose upwards, "I don't  _converse_ with servants."

Pidge grins, "Well, good thing I'm not one, then. Do you... need to talk to someone?"

He frowns in confusion, "Did you just make a joke... and then offer emotional support? What are you playing at?" Frankly, Keith knows very well what Pidge is trying to do, and  _won't_ fall into their trap.

Shrugging, they salute him. "Well... if you ever need-" Well, Keith does need someone to talk to, and frankly, he's not in the mood for Shiro's lectures...

"Wait!"

Pidge spins around, tactful smirk placed on their face, "Yes?"

Panicked, Keith looks at them, "Meet me after dinner, by the observatory."

They grin. "Got it." Stalking away, they smile widely and turn the corner at a run.

Keith groans into his hands.  _What has he got himself into now?_


	5. of familiar singing and utter confusion

_Dinner time._

The young Galra pushes the peas across the plate, admiring the sticky residue it leaves behind. Shiro sends him a cautious look, eyebrows furrowing. But he won't say anything when Alfor is sitting across him, lips pulled back in a smile.

"So," he asks instead, "how was your meeting with Lance?"

Keith resists the urge to grit his teeth when he sees Lance's eyes narrow. "It was fine. He's nice."

Alfor raises an eyebrow and chuckles, "He's nice?"

Keith shrugs, "Yeah."

"Well, tell me where this nice Lance is because I want to meet him!" Shiro lets out a hearty laugh, and the two pick up a conversation, Allura putting in one or two words here and there.

He stares down at his plate, lips pursed. 

Lance's eyes bore into his own, blue flashing as he smirks, and Keith resists the urge to grab his skinny neck _and wring it._ He blows out a soft puff of air, forcing himself to calm down.  _Fuck_ , Lance may think that he's better, but Keith will show him how wrong he is.

Keith thinks carefully. Lance is... not who he appears to be. Even Keith can tell, and it honestly  _surprises_ him that no one has noticed yet.

To Keith, Lance is like... a gemstone. He has... layers? He almost snorts, but quickly remembers where he is. He's always been terrible at writing.

But it's true. The Lance portrayed to the kingdom is merely a fake. The real Lance... he's someone who laughs at servant's jokes, no matter how bad they are. He's someone who sits with Allura and listens to her cry, no matter how much it hurts him. He's someone who'll marry Keith for the good of the kingdom.

Keith finds it distracting. Lance had been allotted the choice to marry him, yet  _he chose to do so_.  _He chose to do something that will ruin his entire life_ , yet everyone still acts like it's not a big enough sacrifice.

He shivers slightly. Alteans are  _ruthless_. The Galra show their anger, their happiness, their  _emotion_ through action, but the Alteans are cunning and will easily stab you in the back the minute you feel safe enough to trust them.

 _I have to be careful_ , he thinks, looking at Lance. Because even if Lance looks like a copy of a perfect prince, he's also capable of things that Keith knows that even  _he_ isn't.

☾ ☀ ☽

He meets Pidge in the gardens, a little later than sundown.

"What took you so long?" They ask, quietly, barely turning to look. The sunset reflects off their glasses, shading their eyes ultraviolet.

He shrugs, sitting down on the bench, "I don't know."

Pidge laughs, shoulders shaking, "You've been thinking about Lance, haven't you?"

He frowns, "I haven't."

Pidge pokes him in the side with a grin, and he gives them a rare smile, "Guilty."

They lean back, legs strapped over his own, and says, "You have questions." It's not a question, Keith knows. Pidge enforces the earlier rule about Alteans to a tee, but there's a sweetness about them that makes him think that he can trust them.

"I do," he answers, lips pursed. Pidge nods, like they know what he's going to ask. "Well?"

He remembers sitting at the dinner table, catching Lance's eye from the corner of his vision, wondering about who he really is. So, that's what he asks.

"Who is Lance?"

They draw up, spine straight. "That wasn't what I was expecting."

Keith shrugs, "I'm not what was expected either."

Pidge smirks, "Fair enough."

They pull Keith upwards, a smile on the edges of their lips. "Lance... is like a star." Grasping Keith's hands, they pull him into the center of the pavilion.

"He shines so bright, takes up everything in the room," they continue, spinning in circles, surprisingly strong for their tiny height.

Leaning in, Pidge grins, "Join me, Prince Keith."

Keith can't find it in himself to refuse.

☾ ☀ ☽

Lance slips down into the wet grass, smiling as he feels the blades poke his exposed legs.

Hunk grins, eyes trained on the sky above, "The sunset's nice today."

Lance shrugs noncommittally, yawning lightly. "How do you feel about Keith?"

He snorts, "You mean your fiance? I don't really know him."

"Well, take it from me, he's boring and I'm better than him," he turns his head, letting out a breath of air.

"Sounds to me like someone's jealous, hmm?" Hunk laughs, pulling on Lance's hair.

"I'm not jealous. I'm just... confused."

"How so?" Hunk leans forward, interested.

"Well," Lance sighs, "after our meeting, I went to talk to Allura, but you know what she told me?"

"What?" Hunk asks, in a clearly teasing tone.

"She told me  _we were_ _similar_. I'm nothing like Keith!"

"Maybe Keith isn't that bad." Hunk points out, grin fading away.

"No," Lance snorts, "he's bad."

"But how is he so bad? What  _makes_ him bad in your books, because, Lance, if I'm being honest, he sounds perfectly fine to me."

He opens his mouth, a retort of the tip of his tongue, but silences himself with a frown. What  _is_ so bad about Keith? Everyone in the kingdom seem utterly _taken_ with him, yet Lance still feels something stuck in his chest, an emotion he doesn't know the name of.

Keith's something else. _There's not really a word to describe him,_ Lance thinks.  _He's just Keith._ He's violent, all flashing teeth and bloody lips, but the side Lance has heard of from Allura... interests him. Keith, to Lance, is pretty much an emotionless block, but there's evidently a side he doesn't now of.

Selfless, taking the brunt of his father's rage and simply channeling it into pure confidence and drive. He never had the chance to  _pick_ his destiny, yet he walks into it with a sureness that even Pidge can't muster. If Keith is a fire, then he burns in a straight line, dangerous and cunning. And suddenly he knows.

Lance feels  _pity_ , sure but the emotion stirring at the bottom of his lungs isn't that. It's  _jealousy._

Lance is jealous of the fact that Keith can have so much confidence, yet so little fate planned out for him. He  _doesn't_ , or really  _didn't_ know what would be happening for him in twenty, ten, five,  _one_ year's time, but now that he does, Lance can tell he's starting to break down.

Keith has always blindly forged a path through his future, but now that someone's already done that for him, he's  _afraid._

It scares Lance that he understands the same feeling. It scares him even more that he understands  _Keith_.

Lance shrugs, wetting his lips, "I'm not sure," he says truthfully, "but can we not talk about this?"

Hunk sighs, clearly unimpressed, "Sure."

"Alright." Lance says, smiling brightly as he stands, "Let's go for a walk!"

Hunk grins, "Sure."

He doesn't notice when Lance drops his smile when he turns around.

☾ ☀ ☽

It feels nice to forget.

Keith has never,  _never_ felt this light, but spinning in bright circles, laughter echoing in his ears, he's feeling better than he has in years.

Pidge laughs, trailing their short arms around his neck, pulling a little. Keith spins, laughing as he grabs their legs and hoists them up and onto his back. Still spinning, the two of them spiral towards the grass, giggling when they collapse in a heap.

"Fun." Keith murmurs, grinning.

They just sigh contently, eyes slipping shut. "Sing for me?"

He laughs, "I don't think so."

Pidge rolls, groaning, "Please?"

Keith doesn't  _love_ to sing, but it does calm him down. He's been told he has a nice voice, but he never believes anything anyone says about him. But Pidge is the only one here, so what's the  _harm_?

He swallows thickly, nodding. "Fine."

They curl into a tight ball, legs tucked into their arms. "Okay."

"Okay."

He closes his own eyes, turning towards the moon.

_"Kiss me hard before you go, summertime sadness."_

Pidge shifts on top of him, the only indication that they know that he's singing.

_"I just wanted you to know, baby you're the best."_

He taps the palm of his hand against the stone, rhythmic.  _Thump, pause, thump, pause._

_"Oh, my God, I feel it in-"_

☾ ☀ ☽

_"-my God, I feel it in the air. Telephone wires all sizzlin' like your stare."_

"Wait." Lance places a hand to Hunk's chest to stop him. "What's that sound?"

Hunk snorts, "Singing, of course. What else?"

Hunk doesn't  _understand_. He's heard it somewhere before,  _before_ -

_"I think I'll call you Red."_

Lance  _jerks_ back, eyes wide, barely hearing Hunk's confused, "Buddy?"

 _Red_. Of course.  _Red._ The last time they'd seen each other, which was also when they first met each other. Red had been singing under his breath! He'd recognise it anywhere-

_"Dear God, when I get to Heaven, please let me bring my man."_

He shivers, feeling goosebumps rush up his arms. If this was Red, this was Lance's chance to find out who he is!

Lance looks at Hunk, "Pray for me."

Hunk frowns, "Pray for you? Why- Lance!"

Lance ducks his head around the corner, sliding under a tree, dodging easily around obstacles.

Something tells him that if he's going to look, he should look  _now_.

He ducks, looking up just in time to catch a blur of pale skin before Hunk is grabbing him by his cape and pulling him to safety.

"Hunk!  _What was_ that!"

He rolls his eyes, "Lance, leave the poor person alone. They're just trying to sing."

The blue-eyed Altean frowns, "But-"

"No buts. Come on, let's go to bed."

Lance frowns, "Hunk, I have to..." He trails off seeing the deadly expression on his counterpart's face. "I... have to go to sleep! Goodnight!" And Lance is gone, leaving behind a very confused Hunk.

☾ ☀ ☽

Pidge comes home late at night, ready to slip into dreams, lulled with the sound of Keith's singing.

But, instead of a neatly made bed, there's a note, written onto a scrap of fabric.

Messy handwriting, but they can read it all the same. They've read the same script  _hundreds_ of times.

_'We need to talk.'_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am absolutely so happy that so many people are reading this! I wasn't really expecting any support, but some people (you know who) have left me amazing comments which have helped me sooooooo much! Love you guys! <3


	6. of stupid questions and final truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Keith come to a realisation... Or should I say Blue and Red?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking maybe 4 more chapters? Then we'll be done with this story... Ughhhh, it's taking so long... But still, I love it, and I love you guys, so thanks so much!  
> EDIT:  
> So, this took longer than expected, and it's a little short, but I promise! Only... 3 or so more! Thanks!

Lance is a lot of things but  _scared_ isn't one of them.

He's dedicated his life to making his kingdom better.  _Okay,_ maybe not his  _life_ , but definitely the past few weeks, right?

But still, as far as he is concerned, he's making a conscious attempt to do better, so that's gotta be worth something, right? He's  _attempted_ to get to know Keith better, he's  _attempted_ to be nicer to people, he's  _attempted_ to do a  _lot_ of things, but of course, attempting isn't enough. 

That's what Allura had said anyways. And Lance trusts his sister with his life, so...

He drops onto his bed with a sigh, turning his head so his annoyed groan is muffled into a pillow. He wants to talk to someone who won't judge him for who he is, but the only person who he can talk to probably doesn't have a comn-link.

Lance is also not  _stupid_.

He  _knows_ that it's unhealthy to be dating someone whom you only see on rare occasions into the market, but Red has a special fare to him that make Lance fall for him even more every time they meet.

But he's pushing past the real problem, and if the past few weeks have taught him anything, it's to face your problems head on.

The problem, really, is very simple.

He doesn't know who Red is.

Sure, he gets this  _surge_ of familiarity every time he looks into his eyes, but it's like a stone in an ocean. He doesn't know where to reach to find it.

On top of it all, Red has to wear his stupid cape everytime they meet. It blocks out his identity, and Lance is fairly sure that he's take it off if he  _really_ wanted his boyfriend to see whom he was.

But enough was enough. He'd taken the easy route, asking Red straight up, "Who are you?"

To which the boy had blushed angrily and looked at the prince in disguise like he couldn't wait to kill him. "Not your problem. You trust me, right?"

Ah. There was that dreaded question, one that sent Lance's stomach wavering like if someone had tackled him after he had eaten a feast by himself entirely.

And the thing was, though he always said yes, Lance  _didn't_ trust Red. Not in the way he thought he would.

He would trust Red if he gave the boy money and told him, "Go buy something." He would trust Red to throw him off a roof and catch him. He would trust Red to remember his birthday.

He just doesn't trust him enough to fall in love.

 _Falling in love is bad,_ he reminds himself.  _I've got to be careful._

But he's not. Careful, that is.

For some reason, every time he leans in with a kiss, or throws his arm around Red's shoulders, he sees the unmistakable face of Prince Keith flash before his vision. It's like his  _conscious_ is telling him to  _back off._

How stupid is that?

Like he's said earlier,  _he's not stupid, so why does he feel like he's missing the punchline of a really, really big joke?_

 _I probably am,_ Lance thinks.  _The joke is that Red doesn't like me back._

But then why does Red put so much effort into seeing him every Thursday? Why does it even matter to him?

Thursday is coming up, Lance realises. It's time to ask the important questions. _For real this time,_ he tells himself. 

Like  _that_ would ever happen.

☾ ☀ ☽

It's Thursday, and Lance wants to jump off the top of the palace, screaming.

 _Okay,_ _maybe he's exaggerating but this is important!_

He pushes the food around his plate, ignoring the way his stomach twinges at the acid smile Hunk gives him as he taps his fingers against the door. He's been mad at Lance all week, barely talking to him, but Lance will deal with that later. He has other things to do.

"Father, may I go to bed?" Lance sneaks a look at Keith, who snorts under his breath. Frowning, he looks at King Alfor, who nods in confirmation, turning back to talk to Matt, who's pressed against the door, a flimsy grin covering his red cheeks. "Are you quite alright, Matt?"

"Y-yeah! Nothing!" Matt squeaks, moving further away from the table. Lance catched Shiro's disappointed stare, and grins. "Matt, accompany me to my bedchambers," he says, grinning at the Altean who sighs in relief.

The door closes behind the two of them, and Matt wipes the sweat of his brow, "Whooo, that was  _intense._ "

He laughs, "Why?"

"Ah-ah, um," Matt stutters, "Shiro."

"Shiro, huh?" Lance laughs at the man's lovesick expression as he wiggles his eyebrows. "Would have never guessed."

"Yeah," Matt sighs, "you know what he did?"

He snorts, "What?"

"Well, he cornered me yesterday and asked me on a date, and you know what I said? I told him to page me in for three o'clock, Friday!  _Page me in_! God! I'm such an idiot!" Lance cackles while the servant hides his face in his hands.

"Don't worry, buddy, it'll be fine! You'll meet, get married, adopt tiny babies, and die at the ripe, ripe age of three thousand and forty!" 

"Lance!"

"Goodnight my sweet child!" Lance opens the door to his room with a smirk.

"I'm older than you, idiot!"

There's a sigh before Lance hears, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Matt."

☾ ☀ ☽

He's never been so  _nervous_ in his  _life_.

He's had plenty of time to think about what he's really doing in the past few days, but it's only now that he realises what he's been doing for the entire time he's been meeting with Red.

He's been cheating on Keith.

The thought is like a punch to his stomach. He feels the air  _rush_ out of him, but at the same time, he's feels a sense of finality over the matter. He's acknowledged that he's done wrong, but now he has to fix it.

That's been the general rule throughout Lance's life, he supposes. He fucks up, realises it, and tries to fix it. And, honestly, it's been pretty successful. But now, he needs something  _deeper_ than just apologising. He's not just learning Red's identity; he's realising and owning up to his own mistakes.

 _It's a hard thing to do,_ he thinks.

"You're thinking about something. What is it?" Red offers no explanation or greeting, just plops down next to him. Lance swallows hard. 

"We need to talk."

Red doesn't seem surprised, "Of course we do."

"Do we?"

"Yes," Red says, "it's important to ask the right questions."

Lance wonders how Keith is so calm about matters like this.

"Well," he sighs. "I want to know who you are."

He sighs, turning to the boy next to him, "I don't know if that's the right question to ask."

 _T-t-the speech!_ Lance fumbles, grimacing. "I-I think that I have a right to know."

"You do," Red says, wrapping the edge of his cape around his slim pointer finger, "but I understand that you may not want to see me after this."

Lance sighs sadly. "That's another thing." Red looks at him curiously, but he avoids his gaze and continues, "I-I think that we should break up."

Red sighs. "Look at me."

Lance doesn't move.

He takes his finger and grabs Lance's chin, forcing him to look at him. Lance doesn't make any movement. "I understand. I... have someone who is relying on me, and I... feel like I owe something to them."

"Right." Lance mutters, looking up, "Can you tell me who you are?"

He snorts, "I don't think that's important."

"It is to me."

Red lets go of his chin, sighing. "Alright."

"Alright."

"Ready?"

"Ready."

"Sure?"

"Oh, for God's sake, Red! Tell me!"

And then he's looking at him with wide eyes, "You promise you won't tell anyone?"

"Promise?"

"You won't get mad?"

"I don't have a right to." It's true, in a way. Red is willingly giving him who he  _is_. Lance is the one who wants this. He has to live with the consequences.

He nods, seemingly understanding. "My name is Prince Keith of the Galra. And I'm engaged to your future king."


End file.
